Louisville’s Hassan Hall (19) ran a long play for the first down that set up their first touchdown against Georgia Tech during their game at Cardinal Stadium.
Oct. 5, 2018 Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal

Louisville's Hassan Hall (19) ran a long play for the first down that set up their first touchdown against Georgia Tech during their game at Cardinal Stadium.
Oct. 5, 2018 Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal

The Villemobile has been a rallying point for fans at the Louisville football games for over 10 years. "Still have faith" is the overall message from the crew in black on Friday afternoon.
Oct. 5, 2018 Scott Utterback/Courier Journal

The Villemobile has been a rallying point for fans at the Louisville football games for over 10 years. "Still have faith" is the overall message from the crew in black on Friday afternoon.
Oct. 5, 2018 Scott Utterback/Courier Journal

Keys to the game, players to watch and a prediction for Friday’s Louisville-Georgia Tech game:

Offensive keys

1. Get Hassan Hall involved: The true freshman running back gave Louisville’s offense a dimension it just didn’t have in the first four games of the season. He rushed for 5.2 yards per carry, the most of any Louisville player against a Power Five opponent this year. He showed burst in the open field for a running game that has relied on staying between the tackles. If the Cardinals need to milk the clock to put this game away, Hall will be a factor.

2. Hit the deep ball: Louisville paid dearly for a few throws Jawon Pass missed while targeting open receivers downfield in the second half against Florida State. In the first four games, the Cardinals ran their offense as if they did not have two of the best receivers in the ACC. Last week, those receivers were open, but Pass overthrew them a couple of times. The offense needs better timing on those deep routes.

3. Control the clock: This is a week when Louisville’s offense has to help out by staying on the field and giving the defense a breather from Georgia Tech’s running game. It goes back to using the running game with Hall and Trey Smith. Georgia Tech ranks 120th in the Football Bowl Subdivision in third-down defense, so if Louisville goes to the ground game, it can string together some long drives.

Defensive keys

1. Find the football: The key for any team to stop the triple-option offense is to mind all of the weapons in the opposing backfield, but especially for a young Louisville defense that has never faced a scheme like this. It’s going to require sophomore middle linebacker Dorian Etheridge to be the communicator, and for safeties Dee Smith and Khane Pass to play up and help in stopping the run.

2. Third down stops: Louisville struggled mightily to get off the field on third down in the first four games of the season. Then, the defense stopped Florida State on 10 of its first 12 third downs Saturday. On the 13th, Louisville gave up the game-winning, 58-yard touchdown pass. Third down is the key to defensive success this season, and the Cards have to limit Georgia Tech in those situations to avoid letting drives get away from them.

3. Fall on the ball: Georgia Tech has fumbled 15 times this season, most in the FBS. It’s an inevitable hazard of any triple-option offense. But the Yellow Jackets have only lost five of those fumbles. Louisville’s defense needs to be aggressive and capitalize on those mistakes, because there may not be many, and they’ll be important in a close game.

Players to watch

TaQuon Marshall: All eyes are on Georgia Tech’s quarterback, who leads the team in rushing with 88 carries for 382 yards and seven touchdowns. Louisville’s defense has to stop Marshall in the running game first and foremost, and also avoid lapses and prevent big pass plays. Georgia Tech doesn’t pass often, but on the rare occasion Marshall throws, those big gains can be back-breakers.

Malik Rivera: Rivera, in his first year on the team as a graduate transfer from Wofford, leads Georgia Tech with 25 tackles and two interceptions. In each of the first two ACC games, he returned an interception 42 yards. A Louisville offense that has struggled with turnovers will have to look out for him.

Prediction: Georgia Tech 22, Louisville 21

This has all the makings of another close game, and Georgia Tech has lost four of five games decided by a touchdown or less since the beginning of last season. Often, the Yellow Jackets win because they fluster the opponent with their offense. Louisville’s defense should hold up, but in a demanding game on a short week after a draining loss, the Cards might not have enough at the end. They’ll be vulnerable to a long, time-consuming march to ice the game in the fourth quarter.